What kind of risks do you want to take with yourself and your baby?

March 13, 2010 by Guest Author  
Filed under Featured

What kind of risks do you want to take with yourself and your baby? Nausea during pregnancy causes many women to look for some type of quick relief. It is said that pregnancy nausea third trimester is worse than in the first six months. This makes it very appealing to look for new ways to make it stop.

Medication during pregnancy is not recommended because most all drugs have some side effects, and they are not good for the baby. Of course, if there are life threatening reasons why expectant moms must take drugs, that is different entirely. In the past, anything other than an aspirin would never be given to a pregnant woman for fear of the side effects.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is a very serious sickness similar to morning sickness. It can become so advanced that a woman and child can easily die if something is not done about it. Doctor’s have no choice in these situations and have to allow medications to be sure the women involved will make term.

If a life is not threatened because of nausea, then taking medicine to help the mother feel better might deserve further study. There are a few drugs in use that appear to work well with no known side effects or problems for the baby or the mother. We won’t look at every one of these, but will just touch on one in this article.

Products with the active ingredient ondansetron have been used frequently in recent years. Ondansetron is an antiemetic drug that has been used for cancer patients after chemotherapy to aid in the nausea that follows. Some women have used it on a regular basis through more than one pregnancy.

It’s always good to look at the side effects first whenever you consider a new drug. This one carries a label that say it can blur vision, cause temporary vision loss (maybe for only a few minutes or for several hours), cause problems with urination (as if a pregnant woman didn’t already have enough of that), or slow the heart rate.

Ondansetron can also present problems with breathing, shivering, agitation, and anxiety. It may also impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful of anything you do that requires you to be awake or alert to avoid mishaps and accidents.

These are all the problems they know about at this time, and do you wonder about the ones they don’t? Is it worth taking a chance with a medication like this if you aren’t required to do so?

Morning sickness is a thorn in the side, whether it is the second month of the pregnancy or pregnancy nausea third trimester. No one knows how much this can debilitate a person unless she is that person. It may not be easy to get through it without drugs, but taking a chance with a baby’s future life is another thing altogether.

The saying, “What we don’t know won’t hurt us” simply isn’t true.

The second trimester pregnancy has enjoyed an unfathomable reputation

The second trimester pregnancy has enjoyed an unfathomable reputation of being the best of all the trimesters. Most of the women claim of being blessed with a feel-good factor during this time. This trimester usually lasts from fourth month to the sixth month of pregnancy. It is around this time that the morning sickness vanishes away. The ailing spree is either completely over or remains in very little measures. Some of the energy seems to have made a very welcome come back.

Fourth Month

This month marks the onset of a new phase of excitement for the mother as she transgresses into the second trimester. She starts feeling very excited with the experience of baby movements inside her. This movement feels like fluttering in the initial stages of the second trimester pregnancy. Although some of the women may not feel the movement of the fetus till their fifth month.

The fetus begins to move inside the womb by this time and can hear the voice of his mother. He grows up to 7 inches by now and weighs approximately 5 ounces. The mother may now start craving for certain foods. Moreover, she may feel more hungry and that too quite often. But she must not start eating twice as much. A little more should rather be eaten than her routine diet. The beginning of the second trimester also observes the mother gaining a little weight as well.

Fifth Month

The movements of the baby increase even further during this month of the second trimester pregnancy. These movements can be observed in an ultrasound quite clearly. It can depict the movements of the baby’s hand to his mouth and the opening up of the mouth as well. It is by this time only that the baby’s sex can be clearly distinguished by a radiologist. The baby now weighs around a pound and grows up to ten inches in length.

At this time, the mother-to-be starts feeling more energetic than ever and some may even start glowing. This would put an end to that queasy feeling of tiredness. Although a little more bloating up is natural around this time. Constipation can also occur in this stage if the water intake is not proper.

Sixth Month

This month witnesses the most active baby. The baby is not a quiet bundle anymore. He becomes much more active and starts rolling from one side to another. He also starts turning upside down. He also begins sucking his thumb. His weight increases about half a pound more and he grows around two more inches in length.

It is now that most of the pregnant women commit blunders. Having regained their lost energy, they tend to become super-active. This is a wrong practice. They should rather listen to their body. This is the time to take more rest than ever for by the end of this month, the would-be mother is about to develop back pain with the growing size of the baby.

Thus, to say, the second trimester pregnancy is otherwise considered to be the best phase for pregnant women. But a few physical complaints which emerge around this period, which include:

o Heartburn,
o Severe backaches,
o Swelling in feet,
o Cramps in legs, and
o Heavy vaginal discharge etc.

It’s mandatory to track your baby’s development

March 13, 2010 by Guest Author  
Filed under Featured

It’s mandatory to track your baby’s development and to know what to expect during your pregnancy. For each of the forty weeks of pregnancy, it’s important to be aware of your baby’s development and the type of changes your body would undergo. What are the different pregnancy symptoms by week that you should anticipate?

1-5 Weeks

For this period, you may experience spotting or bleeding. This is due to the implantation of the blastocyst into your uterus. Don’t panic because this is perfectly normal. Not everyone though will have this symptom of pregnancy. On the 4th week, there will be fetal development. The blastocyst will search for a spot to settle down and these cells will be divided into two groups which will then form placenta and the baby. On the 5th week, the embryo should develop 3 layers: ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm.

6-10 Weeks

This stage is probably the most exciting because the umbilical cord will start to develop, the eyes and ears will begin to form as well as an opening for the mouth. The best part is the heart will begin to pump blood. What are the pregnancy symptoms by week 6 to 10 for you? You may lose or gain pounds. You may also experience morning sickness. It’s very important to never let your stomach get completely empty or overly full. Eat just the right amount of food so not to aggravate the problem. On the 8th week, you may find your waistline to be expanding. You would also have to deal with pimples and increase in oil secretion. Your breast would be very sensitive on the 9th week. On the 10th week, morning sickness will start to ease a bit but mood swings and blotchy complexion won’t go away just yet.

11-12 Weeks

Pregnancy symptoms by week 11 to 12 include better appetite (talk about weird cravings!) and your nausea will subside. Certain smells may still bother you but not too much like the first couple of weeks in your pregnancy. On the 12th week, your uterus will shift up and forward as it grows, it won’t press on your bladder which means less bathroom trips for you. Your morning sickness will subside and you will feel less exhausted. If you experience headaches and lightheadedness, make sure you record this on your calendar and discuss it with your doctor.